


Alinas Culinary Adventures

by The_Pudgy_Ravkan



Category: The Grisha Trilogy - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Baking, Cupcakes, Gen, Humor, Os Alta, grisha - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-17
Updated: 2017-02-17
Packaged: 2018-09-25 03:02:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9799874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Pudgy_Ravkan/pseuds/The_Pudgy_Ravkan
Summary: It's mid summer in Ravka.The sun is hot and high in the sky and the great Alina Starkov is bored out of her wits.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I might make this into a series but I'm not sure yet, but I'll see how I go with it.

It had been days, weeks since anything even remotely exciting had happened in The Little Palace and Alina, not for the first time in her life, was at a loss of what to do. With Mal and Nikolai off doing manly men things, such as sword practice and conferences on gun anatomy, Alina wasn't all that eager to join them. The other female grisha were busy doing each other's make up while they gossiped last time she saw them. The Darkling was busy doing his...darkling-y duties, no one ever really knew what he did in his spare time, and with Ivan nowhere to be seen, Alina found herself as bored as a herring in a coma.

 

After a whole hour in the library, Alina was no longer able to stand the restless energy that kept her fidgeting and unable to focus. So with a quick peak out of one of the few library windows telling her that it was going to be a sunny day, she decided to go for a walk into town. With a light silk blue scarf to protect herself from the cool summer breeze Alina strolled through the high golden palace gates and slowly made her way down into buzzing streets of Os Alta.

 

The early afternoon sun was shining high in the sky, illuminating the city. The bright Ray's of the sun making the paint of the buildings lining the street all the more vibrant. Hanging baskets overflowing with flowers hung from the street lamps and sat on the windowsills and shopfronts, filling the city with colour, petals and leaves blossoming in the warm summer sun. The cobblestone street was a river of people busying to and fro, the Sunday market in full swing. The sweet smell of fresh bread and citrus fruits filled the air, rising above the sea of people. Through the chittering of the crowds a peaceful melody rung upon the ear, wind chimes blowing softly backwards and forwards in the breeze.

 

The sensory overload helped disperse some of Alinas pent up energy, however Alina still felt a restlessness under her skin. After walking through the market for a few more minutes Alina came across a small eye catching cake shop. Its green walls with white trim was curtained by bright pink, orange and white flowers, a small wooden black board sign with dainty chalk cursive writing on it proclaimed that it was holding baking lessons ever Sunday afternoon. Intrigued and with nothing better to do, Alina made her way inside.

 

The air inside was cool and thick with the smell of sugar, different rows of beautiful pastries lined the shelves and display cases filling up the front of the shop. The store was brightly lit, rays of light from the large open windows reflected off the flour floating in the air giving the room a magical fairytale feel to it. Alina followed the sweet aroma deeper into the shop through an ornate little wooden door in the back wall of the shop. This must have been where the smell and flour had been coming from, Alina thought, the air in this room thicker than it had been out in the shop front.

 

There were five wide mahogany tables set out within the room, the four longest tables set out in a rectangular format across from each other with the smaller one at the head of the room, no doubt the teachers work surface. An assortment of ovens lined the entire back wall, sinks and counter space for wet cutlery spanned the bright yellow wall under the windows, on the wall opposite was a workspace that stretched most of the wall with storage cupboard underneath.

 

Alina surveyed the room, there was about nine people in total, including the teacher, spread throughout the area. Most of them either half way through or finishing up their baking, with a small few gathered in a small group eating their finished products. The merry ding of a oven timer caught Alinas attention, dragging her eyes over to the source of the sound. Upon turning in the direction of the noise, Alinas sight was meet by a strong muscular back, bright pink apron ribbon tied in a neat bow resting in the base of his spine. He was bent at the waist busy taking a tray of steaming hot cupcakes out of the oven with his yellow spotted oven gloves. With the baked goods gripped tight between his mitts the man turned to place them on the table facing Alina. His head rose up from inspecting his cupcakes, making eye contact with Alina and face that greeted her left her stunned into silence.

 

 

 

 

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"Ivan?", Alina gasped, amusement trickling in to her expression by the second, smile twitching the corners of her lips.  
"Or should I say, StudMuffin?", she asked gleefully, eyes twinkling as her gaze flickered down to the looping cursive writing on the apron, delighted with her newfound discovery. Ivan remained stoic and still, one eyebrow raising in a judgmental arc, at Alinas second comment his expression tensed,  
"Not. a. word.", Ivan told her firmly, enthusing each word with a frown, stony glare directed at her, the fabric of his frilly pink 'stud muffin' apron bunching under the muscles of his folded arms.

 

Alina let out a strangled giggle, her hand flying up to her mouth to stop the sound from escaping, needless to say it didn't work. After calming down slightly, Alina joyously skipped around the tables at front of the room so that she stood opposite Ivan, his cupcake covered work surface the only thing between them.

 

Eyes alight with mischief, Alinas pupils flickered down to look at the cooling tray of baked goods, then back up at Ivan,  
"Whatcha making.", she asked in a sing-song, her hands slid behind her back as she rocked back and forth on her toes as she sang, swaying with each syllable. Ivans eyebrows scrunched themselves together into a deep scowl, his frown deepening with the action as he watched Alina.  
"No.", he stated simply,"I'm not going to tell you",  
"Come on Ivan", Alina pleaded, wide grin stretching her face,"I want to know what your making"  
"You can see what I'm making, you just want me to say it out loud because you think it'll be funny", Ivan reply irritatedly.  
"Yeah I know, I know. It's just a surprise I guess, I didn't take you for the baking type", she told him while smiling in amusement.  
"You know, this is exactly why I didn't tell anyone", he sighed in resigned acceptance,"because I knew once any of you found out I'd never hear the end of it".

 

Alina suddenly felt bad, Ivan obviously came here for peace and quiet and here she was making fun of him when he clearly came here to get away from that kind of thing, that and it was plain to see that he enjoyed baking. Bashful and slightly ashamed of the way she reacted, Alina rose her eyes to meet Ivans and she gave him a timid smile,  
"Can I help you ice your cupcakes?",she asked shyly.

 

Ivan scrutinised her with a sceptical eyebrow, unsure of the skinny girls intentions, he obvious found what he was looking for in her expression because not long after he gave a heavy resigned sigh and picked up a now cool cupcake off the tray to hand to Alina. Alina reached out a palm to take the offered pastry but right as she was about to take it, Ivan whipped his his hand back raising it high out of her range,  
"You can help me",he held the cake up higher in the air,"on one condition. You promise not to tell a single soul about this", Ivan gave Alina a stern look, face set like stone in a cold glare. In any other situation Alina would have made a joke but something in Ivans eyes simple pleaded that this be taken seriously.

 

"I promise", she replied softly, giving Ivan a short but heartfelt answer. He handed her the cupcake and with a silent thank you from Alina in the form of a smile they set to work making coloureds icing and decorating cupcakes for the rest of the afternoon.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what you think! Kudos, comments and creative critisisim appreciate!


End file.
